Latest United Nations News

UN investigative team says Syria's new authorities `very receptive' to probe of Assad war crimes

Dec. 23, 2024 19:27 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy. The...

UN publishes new death toll for massacre of older people and Vodou religious leaders in Haiti

Dec. 23, 2024 13:55 PM EST

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The United Nations raised the death toll of a recent massacre in which dozens of older people and Vodou religious leaders were killed by a gang in Haiti, and called on officials to bring the perpetrators to justice. The U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti...

Nigerian agency 'failed completely' to clean up oil damage despite funding, leaked files say

Dec. 23, 2024 13:41 PM EST

As it passed above the Niger Delta in 2021, a satellite took an image. It showed acres of land, scraped bare. The site, outside the city of Port Harcourt, was on a cleanup list kept by the United Nations Environment Programme, supposed to be restored to green farmland as the Delta was before...

Winter is hitting Gaza and many Palestinians have little protection from the cold

Dec. 22, 2024 16:39 PM EST

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 14-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. There is a shortage of blankets and warm clothing,...

Prominent Lebanese figure meets Syrian insurgent who led Assad's ouster, seeking better relations

Dec. 22, 2024 12:52 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — A prominent Lebanese politician held talks on Sunday with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syria's President Bashar Assad, with both expressing hope for a new era in relations. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt is the most important politician from Lebanon to visit...

He fought to save jungles in Honduras. Now his killing haunts environmental defenders

Dec. 20, 2024 08:50 AM EST

TOCOA, Honduras (AP) — Seven bullets pounded into Juan López outside a small white church on a sunny September afternoon. Six shots in the chest. One in the head. And a masked gunman standing in front of López's blood-spattered truck. In seconds, another...

UN food agency says 40 million people are struggling to feed themselves in West and Central Africa

Dec. 20, 2024 07:18 AM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — More than 40 million people are now struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa with that number set to rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations food agency said Friday. According to a new report released Friday, the...

What to know about Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation struggling to recover from a massive quake

Dec. 20, 2024 07:08 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A search expanded on Thursday for those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital, Port Vila, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been...

UN General Assembly asks court to say what Israel needs to provide in Gaza

Dec. 19, 2024 19:35 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday asking the U.N.’s highest court to state what Israel’s obligations are in Gaza and the West Bank to provide humanitarian assistance essential for the survival of Palestinian civilians. The vote on...

Biden, on his way out, sets 'ambitious' climate goal: Cut US greenhouse gas emissions by over 60%

Dec. 19, 2024 18:17 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pledging to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2035 as he fights to ensure his legacy on slowing global warming, even as President-elect Donald Trump vows to undo much of Biden's climate work when he takes office next month. ...